Black Panther Review

Marvel’s first movie of 2018 is here! We get the first solo movie for a new character since Ant Man. Black Panther was introduced to us in Captain America: Civil War. This is a very different movie than the last two Marvel films, Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. We also have some ground breaking things happening in this movie. This film has a African American director and a primarily African American cast. How does this movie fair in the current Hollywood climate? Lets dig in.

Likes:

Adam

The cast is wonderful. I personally didn’t realize right at first how big a deal this movie was going to be. Having a primarily African American cast didn’t stop me or turn me off of seeing it. Everyone in the cast fit their roles so well. Everyone is such a talented actor and brought great things to each character. I look forward to seeing the great work that each of them are going to do.

The portrayal of women. There are a lot of strong female characters in this film. In Wakanda women have a place in government, as warriors, and as scientists but never at the cost of femininity. Women all seemed to have a fairly equal footing. They also highlighted that a young woman can have an interest in science and that is a cool and positive thing.

The humor. I think that Marvel was finally able to strike a good balance in this film. After the last two Marvel films I was a little concerned with the direction they were going. They were both over the top and just silly. Black Panther has a good balance and the humor is more on the subtle side, which I feel was much needed. I was still laughing and enjoying myself plenty though.

There were several good moral points made. They all played out in relevant and moving ways.

DisLikes:

Adam

Just a small thing but there were several times that I thought that Andy Serkis was a little over the top but, it is Andy Serkis.

Awkward Walk-In Meter: 2/5

Adam

Black Panther overall was pretty mild. There was a couple of scenes where there was stabbing and blood is shown. There was also one use of the bird finger. I was fairly comfortable with my kids there watching with me.

Overall:

I love this movie and it was very well done. It makes me happy that it has done so well at the box office. I love the story, the morals, the action, and visuals. This is a must see in the theater and also worth a repeat viewing. I hope that this movie will show Hollywood that African American actors can make big block busters, and that they are just as capable as anyone else. I also hope that the movement for strong female characters continues to get attention. Wonder Woman and Black Panther both have made great strides in this regard. If you haven’t already, go and see Black Panther A.S.A.P.